Expanding a social network by the action of a single user

Abstract

Techniques for creating a social network are provided. Private relationships that are established (e.g., in the context of instant messaging) may become public by the action of a single user. Each user determines whether they want to be “social” to (or discoverable by) friends of the user's friends. For example, user A is a friend of (i.e., has established a relationship with) user B and user B is a friend of user C, but user A and user C are not friends of each other (i.e., user A and user C have not established a relationship with each other). If user C unilaterally takes an action, then user A is able to see that user C is a friend of user B. User A may then take further actions to attempt to establish a relationship with user C or otherwise contact user C.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 using an online application, of instant messaging or social networking, executing on one or more computing devices:
 receiving, over a network at the one or more computing devices, input from a first user, wherein the first user is associated with a list of contacts that includes an identifier used to contact a second user; 
 in response to receiving, over the network at the one or more computing devices, the input from the first user, setting an attribute value, of the online application, that indicates that an identifier used to contact the first user is able to be viewed by contacts of the second user without any input from the second user, wherein the contacts of the second user include a third user; and 
 in response to an action performed by the third user on a user interface of the online application and without any input from the second user, making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user on the user interface of the online application. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first user, the second user and the third user are users of the online application. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user comprises an instant messaging client of the first user sending, to an instant messaging client of the third user, the identifier used to contact the first user. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the action performed by the third user includes the third user selecting, in a contact list of the third user, an icon that represents the second user. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining which users have an online status and which users have an offline status and wherein making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user is conditioned on the first user having an online status. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user is conditioned on the second user having an online status. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising making status data of the first user available to the third user if the first user has an offline status. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the input from the first user includes one or more of signing in to a client application, selecting a menu option, or selecting a button. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a second input designating, by the first user, a subset of users and wherein making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user is conditioned on the second user being in the subset of users. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein after making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user, the third user sends a real-time communication to the first user. 
     
     
       11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:
 using an online application, of instant messaging or social networking, executing on one or more computing devices:
 receiving, over a network at the one or more computing devices, input from a first user, wherein the first user is associated with a list of contacts that includes an identifier used to contact a second user; 
 in response to receiving, over the network at the one or more computing devices, the input from the first user, setting an attribute value, of the online application, that indicates that an identifier used to contact the first user is able to be viewed by contacts of the second user without any input from the second user, wherein the contacts of the second user include a third user; and 
 in response to an action performed by the third user on a user interface of the online application and without any input from the second user, making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user on the user interface of the online application. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 11 , wherein the first user, the second user and the third user are users of the online application. 
     
     
       13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 12 , wherein making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user comprises an instant messaging client of the first user sending, to an instant messaging client of the third user, the identifier used to contact the first user. 
     
     
       14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 11 , wherein the action performed by the third user includes the third user selecting, in a contact list of the third user, an icon that represents the second user. 
     
     
       15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when processed by one or more processors, further cause determining which users have an online status and which users have an offline status and wherein making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user is conditioned on the first user having an online status. 
     
     
       16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user is conditioned on the second user having an online status. 
     
     
       17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when processed by one or more processors, further cause making status data of the first user available to the third user if the first user has an offline status. 
     
     
       18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 11 , wherein the input from the first user includes one or more of signing in to a client application, selecting a menu option, or selecting a button. 
     
     
       19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when processed by one or more processors, further cause receiving a second input designating, by the first user, a subset of users and wherein making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user is conditioned on the second user being in the subset of users. 
     
     
       20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 11 , wherein after making the identifier used to contact the first user available to the third user, the third user sends a real-time communication to the first user.